Multiple electrical sockets



United States Patent MULTIPLE ELECTRICAL SOCKETS Sidney Richardson, LosAngeles, Calif. Application October 20, 1952, Serial No. 315,659

1 Claim. (Cl. 339-192) This invention belongs to that general class ofdevices known as sockets for electrical connection purposes and relatesparticularly to sockets with multiple contacts adapted to receive aplate type plug or panel end with a plurality of printed conductors ofthe type now employed in the electronic industry.

The socket means of this invention is so constructed and arranged thatthe harness boards and plates can be readily and quickly changed andsubstituted to meet the demands of the circuit involved. Such socketmeans leads the way to standardization of chassis and component partsand provides the Way to combine circuits and systems through the use ofprinted or etched circuit boards or plates. Polarization means are alsoprovided in each socket to prevent wrong insertions which may harm theconnected circuits or cause unnecessary failures.

The invention has among its objects the production of the socket meansand associated parts as described, a combination that is simple, durableand compact in structure and is inexpensive.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a top plan View of a socket embodying the invention showingthe arrangement of a plurality of contacts and the lobes for mountinglthe socket upon a suitable surface;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the socket with a plate type plugor printed circuit board thereabove (the top portion of which is brokenaway);

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the socket showing the various contactbottoms so curve formed so that the contacts will be held in properposition;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially along the line4-4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of one of the contacts, and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged perspective View of one of the keys.

The particular form of the invention illustrated in the drawingscomprises a molded integral piece of plastic or ceramic material whichis glazed or non-porous and having high weathering properties andcapable of withstanding high electrical stresses. The integral unit hasthe opposite side walls 1 and 2, end walls 3 and 4, and bottom wall 5.The side lobes or ears 6 and 7 extend from the base portion of the unitand are provided with the screw holes 8 and 9, as shown. These lobes areshort of the top portions of the unit to avoid interference of screwheads; such lobes and holes may be located at other places about thebase of the unit to suit particular mounting requirements or the holesand their lobes may be omitted. The side walls and the bottom provide anopen top receptacle or well 10 having the biased edging 11. This edgingis recessed, as well as the side walls, at uniform spaced intervals toprovide a plurality of vertical channels 12 and 13 for a purpose to bepresently eX- plained.

Through the bottom 5, there is a plurality of oblong bores or slots 14which are relatively narrow and in alinement with their respective pairsof opposed channels 12 and 13. The purpose of these slots is for eachone of Ithem to allow a metallic lobe 15 of a metallic contact element16 to pass therethrough. Such a lobe-is integral with the main bodyportion of the element by a narrowed neck portion 17 which is anextension from the bottom bar or base 18 of the contact element. Thisbase has the pair of upstanding fingers 19 and 20 which are spaced apartand designed to receive a printed plate 21 that is to be insertedbetween them. The top ends of the fingers are biased or rounded so as toguide the printed plate between them. The fingers are formed so as to betoed toward each other and thus have a cornpression spring action forfirmly gripping the bottom portions of a circuit board. A hole isprovided in the lobe 15 to accommodate a wire conductor which is to besoldered thereto. Note, that the lobe is curved when formed to lockcontact in place. This curve portion provides a groove for receiving thewire to be soldered thereto.

A key member 22, preferably a metallic element, has a lobe portion 23which is integral with the main body portion by means of the neckportion 24. This lobe 23 is sized for free passage through any one ofthe slots 14 of the socket base. The top opposed edges of the body isbevelled or rounded so that the key can easily enter an open key slot 25of a printed circuit board. The key or keys may be made of any suitablematerial that can be formed so that when the key is mounted in thesocket by passing the lobe thereof through one of the slots of thesocket, the lobe is formed or curved so as to be non-removable unlessthe lobe 23 is re-formed to allow it to pass through the slot. Thenumber of keys employed is dependent upon the number of key-waysprovided in the printed circuit board.

The contact elements 16 are preferably made of high purity copper inthat they must be good conductors of electricity. By die forming,curving or twisting thelobes 15 of the contact elements they are held intheir respective Slots 14 just like the key members 22. The size of thesockets, contact elements, and keys are dependent upon the size of theprinted circuit boards 21. These boards or plates have one or morekey-ways 25 and a plurality of conductor strips or paths 26 which may beon just one side of the board 21 or on both sides thereof.

It is, of course, understood that various changes and modifications maybe made in the details of form, style, design, materials andconstruction of the whole or any part of the specilically describedembodiment of this invention without departing from the spirit thereof;such changes and modifications are considered as being within the scopeof the following claim.

I claim as my invention:

A multiple-contact socket member for making electrical connection with aslidable circuit board plug of the type having a plurality of parallelspaced conducting strips thereof, and having, in place of one of saidstrips nearer one side of the plug than the other, a polarizing'key-way, said socket member comprising a body of insulating materialprovided with an elongated well having parallel opposed side walls, theside walls being formed with a plurality of spaced aligned pairs ofvertical channels opening into the well, readily removable electriccontact members loosely slidable in the pairs of channels to seat in thewell and be held perpendicular to the side walls thereof, said contactmembers including parallel opposed spring fingers, the outermost ends ofeach pair of spring fingers being slightly separated and curvingly aredto provide an entrance way therebetween for the circuit board plug, thesaid entrance ways between the pairs of ngers being in alignment,whereby the plug may be pressed between the entrance ways of all of thepairs of spring fingers throughout the length of said well to makesimultaneous contact With the conducting strips of the plug, meansmovable with the contact members to anchor the individual Contactmembers releasably in the well and thereby frictionally hold said plugwithin the said well when the plug is en 4 gaged by the anchoredcontactmembers, and a polarizing key releasably anchored in the pair ofchannels in registry with the key-way in the plug, whereby to preventthe plug from being incorrectly inserted .in the socket member.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 921-,959Davis May 18, 1909 Henning Nov. 9, 1937 Alden Sept. 13, 1938 Favre Jan,7, 1941 Johnston Nov. 25, 1941 Woodward Feb. 13, 1945 Schey May 29, 1945Wilburn Sept. 30, 1947 Uline Apr. 17, 1951 Ericsson Dec. 29, 1953FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Sept. 10, 1931 Great Britain Dec. 12, 1951

